Parents downsize to see their kids more

A Cabinet Office study finds that parents are downsizing their careers in order to spend more time with their children.

A quarter of parents aged 30 to 59 have downshifted their careers in the past 10 years because they want more time with their children, according to a report. The Cabinet Office study found that parents had either left their job, reduced their hours or changed career path mainly to have more time to spend with their family, although a small proportion were looking for more fulfilling jobs or for a "post-materialist" lifestyle. The report also found that families where both parents worked were less likely to split up because they were not so riven by financial worries. Although the report found parents spent more time with their children, it also found that they spent less time with each other, which could be a source of tension in their relationship. Read more